Proto-1 Manufacturing LLC

New Technology for the Tube and Pipe Industry

At Proto-1 we are Building Partnerships and Offering New Manufacturing Technology for the Tube and Pipe Industry.

In today's competitive market it is important to stay ahead by being knowledgeable about the latest technology. Our knowledge is based on use. Proto-1 offers machines and services that increase your productivity and profit.

Our machines are leading the way in tube end forming, tube cutoff-after bend and tube deburring. We can also design and build custom machines to suit your needs. Visit our website www.proto1mfg.com to see cutting edge technology for the tube and pipe industry.

Need automation with your machine? We can do that. We have been integrating our machines into automated cells from day one. We are your one stop shop.

Recent Content on The Fabricator for Proto-1 Manufacturing LLC

• 
• From The Tube and Pipe Journal

Tube end forms in many types and styles illustrate the process’s versatility

• By Pat Arens and Patrick Coenen
• Apr 20, 2021
• Tube and Pipe Fabrication
• Article

Beading, expanding, flanging, flaring, grooving, knurling, reducing—all of these can be carried out on tube ends, which illustrates the versatility of end formers. Even among beads, several unique and distinctive styles are used commonly in industry.

• 
• From The Tube and Pipe Journal

Fueling a fabricator’s 30 years of growth, innovation

• By Eric Lundin
• Nov 3, 2020
• Shop Management
• Article

In 1990 two entrepreneurs joined forces to buy a small fabrication shop in Wisconsin that focused on cutting and welding. Within just a few years Sharpe Products was on its way to being a full-fledged tube fabrication shop with an OEM business on the side.

• 
• From The Tube and Pipe Journal

Fabrication automation

• By Eric Lundin
• Jan 10, 2012
• Automation and Robotics
• Article

Need help dealing with the skilled worker shortage? Eric Lundin, editor of TPJ-The Tube & Pipe Journal, interviewed several automated equipment manufacturers for their perspectives on automation for tube and pipe fabrication.

• 
• From The Tube and Pipe Journal

Options for Notching Pipe and Notching Tube

• By John Schwochert
• Apr 26, 2010
• Tube and Pipe Production
• Article

While fabricators could probably name three methods for notching tube, there are really six. Learn the ins and outs of tube notching and pipe notching here.

• 
• From The Tube and Pipe Journal

Making a 20-degree Marman bead

• By John Schwochert
• Jul 20, 2009
• Tube and Pipe Fabrication
• Article

Two forming methods can make a bead for an airtight seal on a metal tube: rotary (spin) forming and progressive ram forming. Each has advantages and disadvantages in bead profile, cycle time, amount of wall thinning, and so on.

• 
• From The Tube and Pipe Journal

Do you use checking jigs and fixtures?

• By Dave Petrack
• Jul 10, 2003
• Testing and Measuring
• Article

How do you check tube fabrications to ensure they meet quality standards? Do you ship parts without checking them and hope that the next time the phone rings it isn't a prelude to a tirade from a disgruntled customer? Or do you check finished parts only to realize that your scrap rate is too high and wish you had checked them at earlier stages of the manufacturing process?

• 
• From The Fabricator

Waste not, want not

• By Dave Petrack
• Jun 12, 2003
• Tube and Pipe Fabrication
• Article

Any manufacturing process that goes awry can result in waste in many forms, both obvious and hidden. A simple project in which tube is cut, bent, formed, and welded can result in large amounts of wasted money and time if one of the processes goes wrong.